Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Tánaiste for staying at least ten minutes longer than he expected. I appreciate that wherever he was meant to be is not as important as this discussion. I remember that when the first hospital was bombed in Gaza, Israel said it would look into it because even the Israelis would never bomb a hospital. Since then, they have been deliberately targeting healthcare workers and journalists. We know they were deliberately targeting women and children, and men - I do not know why men are always left out of the equation. The Palestinian men I see on my television screen are rising life and limb to save children from bombarded buildings, or are healthcare workers or are driving ambulances. They are doing their damned best to save as many lives as they can. Israel is still in violation of international law. There has been no sanction against Israel, as such. There is a feeling that this is very late in the day, that if the Government really wanted to move the occupied territories Bill forward and was really concerned about amendments, it would have brought it forward quicker. The Tánaiste met the Senator a couple of weeks ago and I will have a question for her afterwards. We are on the cusp of an election now and there will be talk about outside interference and everybody will be saying to look at Russia. At lunchtime today, The Ditch released a statement that the American ambassador wrote to the Tánaiste 90 minutes before he issued a statement committing to only a review rather than the enactment of this legislation. The Tánaiste should make a statement on this because I find it hard to believe that he is pretending now that he did not know about it.